Deep well screen



1943- 4 I c. E. BODEY, JR 2,310,507

DEEP WELL SCREEN Filed Nov. 22,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor:

Feb. 9, 1943. c. E. BODEY, JR

DEEP WELL SCREEN 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 22, 1940- s.E.Bo a

Patented Feb. 9, 1943 UNETED S'l" TES "AT E ice DEEP WELL-SCREEN CharlesE. Bodey, Jr., St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Edward E. Johnson,Incorporated, St. Paul,

Minn.

1 Claim.

My invention relates to .deep well screens and has for its object toprovide a novelscreen structure which may be simply and cheaplymanufactured without the employment of expensive appliances.

In the manufacture of well screens it has been a practice to wind awirehelically upon a series of longitudinal rods held so that theirlimits outline a cylinder and to secure together by some direct meansthe rods and the spaced helical coils of the Wound wire so that thehelical channel extending between the various coils of the wound wirewill constitute in effect a series of circumferential drainage slots.The securing has been done by means of successive welding v of the wireand rods at each crossing point or by channeling the rods across,setting the wound wire into the channels and thereafter distorting themetal to hold it in place. Rods spaced together close enough to formvertical drainage slots also have been employed but united tocircumferential supporting members in the same way.

It is a principal object of my invention, in order to avoid this form ofsecuring, to provide means for securing .together longitudinal rods andcircumferential loops of wire by a simple cooperative arrangement of therods and wires with spreader loop members whereby the rods and the Wiresmutually hold each other in position and no welding or deformation ofmetal takes place, and this will be effected both for well screens inwhich the circumferential loops of wire form the drainage slots and inwhich the longitudinal members form the drainage slots.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a well screen whereinthe wire is Wound into a helix independently of the rods, and binder andspreader members are inserted between the coils of the wire, and rodsare inserted'in the loops of said spreader members on the underside ofthe helix so that the coils of the helix are thus held positioned toform a circumferen tial well screen.

It is a further object of my invention to secure portions of the severalrods extended outside of the helix to male and female head fittings bymeans of which the rods are held in proper position and the screeningsurface formed by the helically wound wire is permanently set withoutthe use of welding, deformation of metal or solder or other similarmeans.

It is a further object of my invention to provide hollow spreadermembers U-shaped in cross section which are formed with transverse slotssuch that the members may be inserted over helical loops or rings andthereafter longitudinal wires thrust through the loops to bind thespreader members and loops together into an integrated well screen.

application of constructed in accordance with my invention before thehead fittingshave been applied-- Fig. 2 is a plan view of my screen withthe head fittings applied and with some parts-broken away and insection.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the binder and spreader members.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of-the longitudinal rods adapted tobe inserted therethrough.

Fig.5 is a longitudinal fragmentary view partly in section showing howthe helical coils of wire are'held spaced by the binder and spreadermembers and a rod inserted in the'loops thereof.

Fig.6 illustrates the manner in which the helical coils are wound upon aspecially formed base.

Fig. 7 shows a variant formof binder" and spreader member in positionuponzfi portion of one of the helical coils.

Fig. 8 is an end view similar to Fig. 1 showing how the spreader membersand locking rods therein maybe employed for development .of a screenhaving vertical drainage slots between adjacent pairs of spreadermembers.

Fig. 9 is an elevation view of sHchascreen wherein circular bands orhoops of metal are employed in place of a helically'woundwire.

Fig. .10 illustrates the manner in which a helically wound wire may beapplied to a well screen having vertical drainageslots.

Fig. "11 is an enlarged part sectional fragmentary view showing how theparts arelocked together.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary part sectional plan view showing the manner in.which the parts are locked together where the verticalslots areemployed.

Fig. 13 is a perspective part sectional vie w .19, Fig. 3, meeting in acommon plane at thus forming a flat top 2|, Figs. 2, 5 and 6, or

Fig. 16 is a plan view of a metal sheet from which the spreader membersare formed showing the manner in which such a member may be providedwith spacers.

In constructing the first form of my screen I provide cylinders IQ ofwhich a portion of one is shown in Fig. 6 having longitudinallydepressed portions H forming longitudinal grooves 12. Upon this base ishelically wound by any desired means, in the first instance a continuoushelix formed of a wire 13 of any desired shape, as shown circular incross section. This wire will be roughly spaced whatever distance apartis desired to form the screening slot. As so spaced it will overlie thevarious longitudinal grooves I 2 which are equally spaced about theforming cylinder 10. When the winding operation is completed, therefore,the wire 13 will lie in a helix comprised of a multiplicity of spacedhelical coils upon the forming cylinder l0, all of said coils overlyingthe longitudinal grooves or channels I2. It will be understood, ofcourse, that a set of said forming cylinders such as IE] will beprovided for obtaining screens of different desired diameters, but ineach case the longitudinal grooves [2 will be equally spaced about thecylinder, in practice as nearly as may be the same dstance apart in eachof the cylinders.

The binder and spreader members I4, as shown in Fig. 3, may be formed ofa stamping of metal,

having U-shaped portions I 5 separated by spaces 16 with a suitablycurved bottom I! and a flat top formed of bent-over flange members 18and spreader and binder members 22 may be formed of tubing which arecircular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 7.

After the helix of wire l3 has been laid upon the forming cylinder IDthe requisite number of binder and spreader members M are forced intoposition so that the U-shaped loops [5 straddle the coils of wire andreceive them within the spaces IS. The rods 23 are then forced endwisethrough the loops l5 inside of the helical coils of wire [3 withportions 24 of said rods 23 extending outside of the outer limits of thecylinder of helical coils. of Figs. 1 to 8 the rods will be spaced apartdistances as great as will result in a well screen sufficientlyreinforced to :be of necessary strength and rigidity. The formingcylinder I0 is then withdrawn from within the sets of helical coils,leaving the screen formation complete with the extended ends 24 of rods23 outside of the screen portion held together by the binder andspreader members 14. An internally threaded female header 25 and anexternally threaded male header 28 are formed with holes 21 adapted toreceive the ends 24 of the rods 23. These header members are assembledupon the rod ends 24 by the insertion of said rod ends within the holes21, as shown in Fig. 2. The rods are permanently secured by welding,soldering or other suitable means within the holes 21 and the screen isthus completed.

In the form of the invention of Figs. 8 and 15 substantially the samespreader members 30 are employed as in the other form. In this laterform, however, the spreader members, placed in close proximity one tothe other, provide a multiplicity of longitudinal drainage slots 3!which constitute the draining system. Widely spread helical loops 32,Fig. 10, of a helically wound In the form of well screen next succeedingspreader member 30.

be a multiplicity of circular bands or hoops 34 which cooperate with thespreader members and with the rods 23 exactly as in the form where thehelical loops are employed. As shown in Figs. 8 and 10 the helical loops32 are employed. As shown in Figs. 9 and 14 closed bands or hoops ofmetal are employed, the form of which in Fig. 14 comprises a spreadermember 35 of roughly triangular cross section and hoops 36 of band ironor steel, while the hoops of Fig. 9 are of round metal.

Inasmuch as the spreader members conceivably might slip on thecircumferential locking device, whether they be helical loops as in Fig.10 or closed rings or bands as in Figs. 9 and 14, contact lugs 37 may beprovided which, as clearly indicated in Fig. 15, engage adjacent wallsof the The spreader members are normally formed by stamping and dieforming a fiat plate 48, such as indicated in Fig. 16. This plate willbe stamped with an opening 4|, which provides the slots 16, withcrimping lines 42 which provide for the top plates 18 and I9, and with alip 43 cut at M and 45 and crimped at i6 which in the die-formingoperation will be brought out laterally to produce the lug members 31.

I have pointed out in the foregoing detailed description the variousstructural features and arrangements covering the advantages resultingfrom the use of my invention. Whether the well screen be one formed witha circumferential slot arrangement resulting from spaced helical coils,or with a multiplicity of vertical slots resulting from closely spacedlongitudinal spreader members, the resulting screen is strong, eificientand very cheap to make. It provides a series of rows of short channelseither across the spaces between the spreader members 23 or between setsof circumferential binder members 32 or 34. In the first case the widthof the channels will be determined by the width of the U portions 15 ofthe binder and spreader members between pairs of transverse slots l6,which may be varied to practically any extent desired, or by the widthof the lugs 31 and also the width of the spreader members 30 whichlikewise may be varied as desired. The completed screen is strong andefi'icient, it is primarily a simple assembly device the work of whichcan be done by unskilled labor, and hence the screen member can bemanufactured and sold at a moderate price.

I claim:

A well screen comprising a helix of wire forming a screening surface,spreader members on said helix formed with depending loops between eachadacent pair of coils thereof, the loops serving to hold the helicalcoils equally spaced one from the other, a series of rods extendingthrough said loops and engaging the helical coils on the innercircumference thereof for holding the spreader and binder members unitedto the helix, said rods extending outside of the end limits of thehelix, and fittings secured to the extended portions of said rods.

CHARLES E. BODEY, JR.

